Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, we can’t have a repeat of the 2019 School Fest. However, choir-related events and other activities can help your kids stay sane while indoors. Here are some things you can have your children do that will keep them entertained and is a learning experience.

Musical Entertainment With Laurie Berkner

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Let your kids warm up those vocal cords in a creative way. Musician Laurie Berkner is bringing you “Live Berkner Breaks.” Your children can join her on Facebook Live as she sings songs, plays music, and reads books to them. She also teaches them about proper handwashing and the importance of social distancing.

For older kids, you can challenge them to learn how to play an instrument. Chords and lyric sheets to some of her songs are available for download. Check out her Facebook page for the live videos.

Cooking With America’s Test Kitchen

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Is your son or daughter the next Gordon Ramsay? Introduce them to the kitchen with the help of America’s Test Kitchen. The cooking show now produces online content aimed at kids. They’ll teach kitchen basics such as onion chopping and easy-to-follow recipes.

If you need something to keep your kids busy as you cook, there’s also a guide for simple salt art projects that they can try out. Thankfully, most of their content on the website is available for free.

Keeping Up With Legends of Learning

If you’re worried about your kids keeping up with learning, “Legends of Learning” provides science and math classroom games. While these subjects may not be your child’s favorite, the activities present the topics in a fun way.

Short video games will get them to practice and apply what they have learned in the classroom. They won’t even notice that they’re learning. The activities are best suited for kids in the third- to eighth-grade levels.

Summary

Being stuck at home at least means you get to spend more time with your kids. But when you need a break, there are many fun activities that they can enjoy.

Children will look forward to their musical breaks with Laurie Berkner. Have them spend the day learning in the kitchen with Cooking with America. They may also develop an interest in science and math through fun games with Legends of Learning.

There is a little debate going on among my friends who also happen to be parents like me. One of them told the group that she was having second thoughts about talking regarding the coronavirus with her kids around. She said, “I want them to be as child-like as possible. I don’t think they need to know about this pandemic.”

Everyone expressed their opinions about it. When they asked me, I told them that my children are aware of the coronavirus from the moment that their school canceled regular classes. Some people agreed with me, but I knew that others did not, considering they did not open the topic again. Still, I stand by my decision to make my kids know about the current situation because:

It Will Go Down In History

From the get-go, you know that getting rid of the coronavirus does not mean it will be forgotten soon after. Many experts have made it the focus of their studies; news outlets worldwide cover updates about it one too many times every day. Hence, I will be more surprised if this outbreak does not go down in history.

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When you tell your kids about the coronavirus, they can understand why some things happen these days. For instance, non-front-line workers cannot go to work, and students cannot go to school. Although they may only realize its full scope later in life, it won’t be too challenging for them to relate when the teachers discuss the matter at school.

Safety Can Come From Knowledge

The children are not short of wanting to hear more details about a specific topic like the coronavirus. After all, it keeps them from going out and doing everything that they usually do during a school break. And a part of they tend to ask is, “How can I make sure I don’t catch the virus?”

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That’s when you can teach your kids the significance of having clean hands and feet and wearing a face mask all the time. It should not be too complicated, given that the coronavirus genuinely spreads when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or at least talks in your personal space. You can also get it if you touch anything where their saliva has previously landed and used the same hand to touch your face.

You Cannot Shelter Kids From The Ugly Fact Of Life

Moreover, you should not deprive your children of knowledge about the virus because it exists, no matter how ugly this fact may be. You cannot evade them every time they ask why they cannot see their friends or play at the local park. If I’m honest, it is even unfair for them not to know what’s happening and why.

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I know how much you want to shield your little ones from this scary truth. I am a parent, too; I feel your worries. Despite that, believe it when I say that kids are the smartest people you’ll ever meet. If you explain the circumstance and assure them that you are protecting yourselves by staying at home, they will take it well.

Final Thoughts

Your children are in their most formative years right now. They love learning; they want to know everything. Why should you insist on hiding the coronavirus information to them when it may be able to keep them from contracting it?

In case you have not told your kids about the virus yet, change your tactics and do it now. Just choose to use the words that are appropriate for their age so that the knowledge will surely stick. You will be doing them a favor by doing so—trust me on that.

When my firstborn, Jace, came, you could say that I was over the moon. We would go to playdates with other babies in the neighborhood, enjoy listening to children’s songs at night, and try to communicate with each other in our little ways. During the summer, my husband and I enrolled Jace to a swimming class for babies in which he learned not only to dive but also to have fun with others. All this time, I was thinking, “Hmm, I am happy to see how friendly my child is becoming. He will not have a hard time when he enters preschool.”

But then, the time for Jace to attend preschool came, and it turned out that he did not like it. He was excited to put on his little backpack in the morning of that day and go in the car with mom and dad. He thought that we were going on a fun trip as usual. However, his smile was gone when we pulled up in front of the preschool, and he saw a swarm of same-aged kids everywhere. When my husband picked him up, he hung on to his dad’s collar and buried his face on his shoulder. The crying started when my husband tried to put Jace down so that we could usher him in his classroom.

In truth, I was in utter disbelief at the moment. I did not know what to do; my child was using all of his energy to resist going past the door. I had to apologize to the homeroom teacher and say that we would return some other day because Jace was not ready to attend preschool.

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Now, scolding an innocent child who is scared of going to school is not an option. I talked to other moms and found out that kids have to get comfortable with the idea of attending preschool first before taking them there. Realizing my mistake, here’s what I learned to do.

Visit Schools With The Child

The first thing you can do is to visit the schools that you want to enroll your little one in. Although you may be paying for their education, your kid should have a say when it comes to where they want to study. By taking them with you, you will see which place excites them the most, and so you know that they will have fun there.

Act Out Classroom Scenarios

Considering roleplaying is one of your child’s favorite games, you can coax him or her o act as if you are their teacher while he or she is your student. You may furnish the playroom with a blackboard, children’s books, and even the same desk or chair that preschoolers use. This way, they can get used to the idea of studying.

Teach Basic Skills

It will not hurt to teach simple things to your child as well, such as tying their shoelaces, carrying their backpack, or putting on their clothes. While the teachers will eventually show them what to do, their confidence level will increase when they already have such skills.

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Final Thoughts

It matters to make your child like schools at an early age. They will spend the next 10 or 20 years of their life studying, after all, so they should start strong.

A lot of parents say after a couple of years of raising their kids that they can’t wait for the latter to start going to a real school. After all, having a school-aged child entails that peace and order will return at home, even for just a few hours. You can do every house chore without needing to monitor your kid as well. Furthermore, it will be effortless to focus on your work because there is no one to ask you to feed them or play with them every 30 minutes or so.

The thing is, parents mostly say such things when the kids make them want to pull their hair out. Once it is genuinely time for them to enter elementary school, the adults tend to be more jittery than the little ones. While the children are sound asleep in their bed, for instance, the mom and dad are wide awake at night, wondering how they will fare among big kids. Though parents can see the excitement in their babies’ movements, they can’t help but worry if the latter will be able to make friends on their first day. I know – I have been there and gone through similar thoughts myself.

Now, allow me to share what you can do to overcome your first-day-of-school jitters as a parent.

Believe In Your Child

The initial thing that you should do is to have faith in your kid. Believe that he or she can do well on his or her first day at school. Believe that he or she will know how to communicate with other pupils instead of sitting in the corner of the room. Moreover, believe that your child can act like a big boy or girl who no longer needs a mommy or daddy by their aside all the time.

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You cannot lose faith in your offspring and show your anxiousness to them because they might get infected by your jittery behavior. Rather than having fun as soon as they step into the campus, they might beg you to take them home. Then, it will become challenging to make them like school.

Scope The Classroom Yourself

As a parent who’s firstborn goes to school for the first time, it is understandable if you want to accompany the child to their classroom. Some teachers know how worried you might feel; that’s why they may let you into scope the place. You can use that opportunity to reassure yourself that your baby is in a safe environment.

Don’t Be Afraid To Check In With The Teachers

It is not wrong to either text or call your kid’s homeroom teacher during the break to figure out how they are doing on their first day. Teachers are students’ second parents at school, after all. They should know more than anyone if your child can communicate well with their classmates or has a hard time adjusting to the new place.

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Final Thoughts

Doing the tips mentioned above cannot guarantee that your first-day-of-school jitters will go away completely. I can tell you that you may deal with the same worries when your other kids start school for the first time, too. However, it helps to know what you should do when you feel more anxious than the new student.

Sending kids to school for the first time can be a bittersweet experience for parents. It will be great to know that you can have more vacant hours to yourself again. You may perhaps go out on your own without having to look for a babysitter first. More importantly, your house can be filled with silence, even if it’s only for half a day.

Nevertheless, it is understandable if you worry about how your children will function in a new place without you. From the moment they were born up to this day, they mostly depended on you as their parent. Now, they have to rely on teachers and themselves to get through their classes.

If you have similar concerns, though, you should know about apps like ClassDojo that many parents have been using for years now.

What Is ClassDojo?

ClassDojo is a startup company that offers an application where students and educators can commune and expand their knowledge base. It used to be free for everyone, but they have created premium features after the app’s widespread success.

Based on research, ClassDojo has already reached millions of educational institutions in the United States. Apparently, approximately 66% of primary school pupils deal with anxiety, which can go away when they know that their parents can see them.

How Did The App Rise To Fame?

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The primary thing that jumpstarted the startup’s prominence is the fact that the students who also utilize the service are allowed to receive prizes from their tutors each time they do a great job. Although this reward system is not too different from how they get stickers from teachers at the end of classes, a few organizations have initially opposed the notion. Instead of being negatively affected by the criticisms, however, the partners behind the company decided to work harder to provide a newer and more efficient way of communication between all parties involved.

According to Diane Rhodes, an educator in Tiburon, California’s Bel Aire School who has been accessing the app for years since its conception, ClassDojo made communication effortless. It did not only work with the children but also with the parents who naturally wished to check up on their kids often. Through this new application, Rhodes was able to capture photos of the students as they perform various tasks at school, and then post them real-time for the concerned mothers and fathers to see.

How Does The Application Look Like?

If speaking of the design of ClassDojo, it is easy to deduce that it looks like the Facebook platform but with a darker purple color. Apart from the teachers being permitted to publish images in public, the parents are also capable of liking them and posting comments on every photo. The company even increased its services by developing Snapchat’s Students Stories that lets the children post pictures on their own as well.

Nevertheless, the goals that ClassDojo wish to fulfill are comparable to that of Slack, for the reason that the teachers can avail the application without having to ask the system first.

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About ClassDojo

Founded in 2011 by Sam Chaudhary and Liam Don, ClassDojo is an online space that assists educators in making learning more attractive to the students by creating a digital classroom wherein they can share everything.

Being a single mother is a challenge in itself. You will have to solely provide for your child on children and depend on your income. It is stressful to make ends meet (therapists advice counseling for this) especially if you don’t know how to get the help that you need.

Childcare is one option for working parents, but it is also costly. Childcare ranges from $2,000 to $20,000 a year, and that can be quite expensive, especially to single mothers with more than one child. The goal of single parents is to find quality yet affordable childcare.

Though these goals are not that easy to achieve, it will be hard to look for childcare that fits your price range and offer quality service. This is where childcare assistance comes in. They are focused on helping single mothers for their childcare expenses, especially those who are struggling with their finances.

In this article, we will be talking about all the child care assistance programs that can help you.

State Assistance

This child care state assistance helps single mothers pay for childcare based on their income. They will cove part of the childcare fees and you will co-pay the other part. If you need childcare to work, to attend a school or a training program and you have low income to pay for childcare, then you are eligible for this assistance.

If you are not qualified or put on the waitlist for the childcare assistance, you may look for other low-cost childcare programs available near you. There are other programs to help you find proper childcare assistance that you need.

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Head Start

Head Start is a program that assists infants up to 5 years old that come from low-income families. They offer childcare and also preparation before attending a formal school. Eligibility of this is based on families who cannot afford childcare. If a family’s income is 130% less than the federal’s poverty level and has issues like homelessness, child/children in foster care, or others this level, then, they may qualify.

Pre-Kindergarten Program

Some states offer a Pre-K program to give children from 3 to 4 years old, experience when it comes to attending real kindergarten. This program usually lasts two and a half hours to six hours a day. Though this program is free, there are fees to be paid primarily for after school events, and there is usually a waiting list for people who want to attend this program.

Temporary Assistance To Needy Families (TANF)

This program assists families who cannot provide the basic necessities for their children. They also offer childcare if a parent or a guardian needs to work, and their child needs to be looked after.

Child And Dependent Care Credit

People who can afford private childcare assistance can redeem federal tax credit. The amount of this credit can be as much as $3,000 annually for one child and up to $6,000 for more than one child. You may claim the credit once you have calculated your annual taxes and file for a tax return.

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Dependent Care Flexible Account (FSA)

Some companies offer FSA, and if you work for a company that has FSA, you can use this to pay for childcare and after-school care. You must need to apply so you can get this benefit. This also needs to be spent properly. If you signed up for a specific amount and only used half, the other half of the amount would be lost.

Child Support

Every child is entitled to child support. If you are a single mother, then your child’s father must give child support. There are laws about this, and parents who do not follow this can be filed a case and be sent to jail.

There is assistance available if you have asked for child support but is not given to you. You must know all the laws about this so the father may take responsibility for your child’s needs.

Child Care Aware Of America

This organization helps parents or guardians locate affordable childcare in your area. Child Care Aware of America provides help by connecting parents to a childcare program in the country. There is also a childcare calculator and a decision-making tool that you can use for convenience.

Now, you will not have to worry about your childcare needs. There are a lot of organizations willing to help you take care of your child while you work and provide for the family.

The promise of intimate union and equal partnership is truly a beautiful thing to possess in this world. However, somewhere along the way, this contract might take a wrong turn and result in the collapse of marriage. This creates the dilemma that most parents wouldn’t ever want to face. Divorce forges anguish to the perception of the once committed parents. Dealing with this huge problem can take its toll on their child’s health. While it’s inevitable that divorce can inflict stress to the children, psychologists say that there are ways to hasten their recovery.

Parents need to fathom the steps that might reduce the effects of divorce. A supportive parenting approach may go a long way, but will it allow their kids to conform to the changes brought about by divorce?

Year One And Two Post-Divorce Is The Toughest On Children

Studies by psychologists and similar professionals show that kids two years after the divorce display disinterest in their setting. They most likely experience a tremendous amount of stress and anger that causes them to mistrust others. Despite this, many kids still manage to adapt. They readjusted themselves to the new environment and grew comfortable with their unique way of life.

The Emotional Effects Divorce Has On Children

Young children are often confused about why they must go between two homes. They are led with the sense that if their parents can stop loving one another, someday they can also stop loving them.

Primary school children are scared that the divorce is their fault. They are often dismayed with their actions, and they think they did something wrong.

Teenagers are angry about the changes brought by divorce. They find themselves condemning one or both parents for the turmoil of the family.

Nevertheless, in some cases, divorce would mean less dispute and less burden. This would be a good thing for the children experiencing relief from stress.

Losing the child’s daily contact with one parent is another natural outcome of a divorce. Generally, fathers are the one who suffers this consequence. They often feel left out and less close to their children.

Mothers, on the other hand, are the ones who have custody. However, they are associated with an immense level of stress due to single parenting. Studies also show how mothers are less supportive and less sympathetic to their children after the divorce.

Remarriage And Ongoing Adjustments

A remarriage is always an option for a divorcee. However, this is always associated with how the children will welcome it. The inclusion of a step-parent and possibly a step-sibling to a former complete family entails a substantial readjustment for the children. Moreover, studies show that second marriages are more likely to fail than the first.

Divorce May Increase the Risk for Mental Health Problems

Studies show that mental health problems are often associated with children who have divorced parents. Both children and teenagers are susceptible to having psychological issues such as depression and anxiety brought by the adjustment disorders they face.

Divorce May Increase Behavior Problems

Actions of the children from divorced families are often molded by the obvious problems they are facing. Comparing a kid from a complete family, you can recognize how the divorced family kid can be more offending and vulgar that it affects everyone around them.

Divorce May Affect Academic Performance

Children after divorce usually display school absenteeism or even drop out of school. They weren’t able to perform academically due to the stress they’re facing.

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Children With Divorced Parents Are More Likely To Take Risks

Statistics in the United States show that teenagers with divorced parents are susceptible to substance use. They show earlier engagement in alcohol consumption; and marijuana, tobacco and drugs usage.

Adolescents whose parents were divorced when they were five years old or younger are inclined to become sexually active before the age of 16. This also increases the risk of having STD’s due to them having multiple sexual partners.

Is It Better To Stay Together Just For The Sake Of The Children?

Divorce is the final and ultimate action between a couple when their marriage cannot be fixed, and all avenues have already been exhausted. Staying together, just for the children, is not and should never be done. If and only if the couple makes a constant effort and commitment to renew their marriage and work it out, no other reason should be considered, not even for the children.

Who do you trust to look after your children? When you have little options to fall back on, you can worry and, to be honest, you don’t want to leave your child in the care of just anyone. However, how can you find the right child care options? What are child care options there available? Well, there are actually quite a few solutions and many of them can be extremely effective. Read on to find out more about child care options for your children.

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After School Programs

If your child is of school age, there might be some child care options available there. For example, if there are after school programs such as basketball, soccer or other activities, the child could take part in them. Usually, these programs last a few hours at best and hopefully, that will allow sufficient time for you or your partner to return home. There are lots of great programs and not just run by schools. Day care centers and other facilities can also offer child care in the form of after-school programs. You should look into them as they can be pretty effective. What’s more, you can find this is better than hiring a minder or babysitter, especially if you don’t have the funds.

Turning To Parents or Family for Support

Sometimes, after-school programs are not an option but there might be a simpler solution available. Have you ever thought about asking a family member or friend to help with the load? It might be far more effective to have a family member or friend look after the child. This not only saves a lot of money but makes you more at ease knowing your children are with people you know and trust. It can be far more effective than sending a child to somewhere they don’t like to be or know.Read the post here for more tips.

You Can Leave Your Child with a Minder

Whether you are sending your child in the morning and need help after school or are currently working throughout the day, you might need to ask a childminder for help. Now, you might not think hiring a child minder is best and it’s not hard to see why. A lot of mothers prefer to leave children with a friend or someone they know and trust but if you do your due diligence, hiring the right child minder can be easy.

Find the Best Solution for Your Child

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Finding the right child care option can be extremely tricky. You not only have to ensure the child feels comfortable with whom they’re being left with but that you also trust the people too. It can be a very tricky balancing act and something most people struggle with too. View site here! However, there are many good options available and the above are just a few options that may prove useful. Yes, some are not always ideal or indeed viable but there can be many solutions nonetheless. Hopefully, you will find the ideal child care option for your child.

The question of whether you should enroll a young child to a daycare comes up in family discussions. That can happen quite often when there are close relatives who’ll willingly take care of your kid while you’re away. You may even hear arguments about the latter being the most economical option. While there’s truth in that, a good daycare offers plenty of advantages that home daycare may lack of.

Pattern

The ultimate reason why parents opt for a good daycare is that it delivers a structured learning environment to their children. At such a young age in which they have a very short attention span, they need a place where they can learn to do things in an organized pattern.

The administrators accomplish it by following a regular schedule. They plan out which activities the kids will do in the morning or afternoon and in what order. If the children go through it on a daily basis, they will remember the succession of events over time. More importantly, they may carry that discipline back at home.

Emotional Maturity

Many who start school for the first time experience separation anxiety, to the point that it’s hard for them to do anything but cry. However, they may grow out of this situation each day as they pick up the value of independence. It will then help your child to become self-reliant, which is essential for the scholastic years ahead of them.

Behavioral Advancement

When you have an only child, it won’t come as a shock if (s)he is not accustomed to sharing stuff with classmates in the beginning. There are dozens of them that the carers should look after as well; that’s why they cannot always be the center of attention. Although this won’t be apparent on day 1, the kids can eventually change their attitude and learn to empathize with others.

The improvement takes place as soon as they feel a sense of belonging among the peers. Due to that, the staff ascertains that everything will be done in groups, like playing, learning, and problem-solving.

Social Growth

A child normally becomes aloof toward new acquaintances when they only had interactions with the parents prior. They won’t know how to mingle with both adults and children, and going straight preschool can overwhelm them. Thus, it’s for their best interest to enter a good daycare wherein they can understand social skills early.

A few fundamentals here include saying sorry when you accidentally hurt someone, waiting for your turn to speak, and staying nice to people. These are the lessons that can take them a long way as they grow older.

Academic Skills

Despite the fun environment, a daycare center typically has actual lessons taught in a creative manner. That can be through songs, dances, or arts – deeds that grab the kids’ attention efficiently. The literary activities such as storytelling and rhyming also improve their cognition skills. Soon enough, you will notice that your son/daughter can already count number, recite the ABCs, and identify shapes, colors and animals.

Such experiences, of course, prepare the child for more studying once they enter a formal school. And since the daycare staff made learning exciting for them, they will ideally transition to kindergarten smoothly.

Many parents do not understand the importance of checking the playground equipment at the childcare facility they are leaving their child at during the day. Most accidents in a childcare setting usually happen during play time. Children learn while they are playing. There are many learning opportunities that take place on the playground. Fine and Gross Motor Skills are both developed on the playground. Social skills are developed as well. This is one of the main areas that children can learn to interact with each other. Children in daycare settings also tend to spend a lot of time outdoors when possible. As you check out the facility, there are some things that you might want to check out regarding the playground.

Does the Facility Ensure Safety?

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As you interview the director of the facility, make sure to inquire about the safety methods put in place regarding the playground equipment. Ask how many children can be on the playground at the same time and how many teachers are supervising the children while they are on the playground. The playground should not be what is used for teachers to take their break times.

Often times, the playground requires more supervision than what is required in the classroom. At the very least, being on the playground is going to require the same amount of supervision because the playground is unstructured play. It is harder for one person to keep an eye on every child while on the playground.

Find out how often safety inspections are being conducted on the playground equipment. Is there a process that the teachers must go through to report broken equipment? Typically, there should be some type of official paperwork that must be filled out to report the damage. Ask if they have a safety checklist for playground equipment and whether the teachers have any training on playground safety.

Check it Yourself

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Ask if you can also see the playground as you tour in the facility. If they have a checklist, ask to see the last few safety checks. Make note of when the checks were conducted. This will give you a vague idea of how often the childcare facility really checks its playground equipment. As you look at the playground equipment, keep your eyes open for any parts that may be missing or any equipment that may be broken. Look at the nuts and the bolts on the equipment and take note if any of them are protruded. Look for peeled paint, rust, or chipped places on the equipment. Keep an eye open for sharp edges on the equipment or any rough surfaces. Look to see if the handholds on the equipment are stable enough if your child is going to grab it and fall. Look for visible cracks in the equipment. See if the equipment that is not anchored to the ground (and even the equipment that is) is stable or not. Finally, look for any wear or deterioration with the equipment. Most facilities should be conducting these checks on at least a monthly basis.

Development

You may also want to look at the recommended ages for the equipment that is being used. You want to know that your child will be safe all throughout the day. Playground equipment has recommended ages because they are designed for the safety and development of specific age groups. Find out what skills are being built on the playground. Find out whether the teachers are assisting in building these skills or if they just sit on the bench the entire time and watch. This may be fine every now and then. But, for smaller children, the teachers should be more hands on. You can find out this information by observing the interactions of the children and teachers while on the playground.